Ukraine waits as EU, US do nothing

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2014 — Ukraine is on the verge of being partitioned by Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation. Russian troops are positioning themselves around the border of Ukraine, in particular the land closest to Crimea in Ukraine’s southeast, in an effort to force the government in Kiev to adhere to agreements between ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition leadership.

And what are the EU and the West doing to prevent further armed incursions into Ukraine? They are demanding that Ukraine disarm its citizens and promoting the importance of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty.

That is, they are doing nothing.

While Ukraine prepares to fend of the Russian military, the E.U., NATO and the West continue to make speeches, while inflicting sanctions on Russia that have less impact on Putin’s behavior than bb’s do on a battleship. He doesn’t care.

That begs the question: What can America do to support Ukrainiane? We can send them weapons and advisers. Ukraine has a million reservists who, if properly armed, could fend of whatever Russia has to throw at them aside from the nuclear middle finger. If the West wanted to, they could help Ukraine fend off the 150,000 Russians pacing on the border like prize fighters before the bell goes off.

But we don’t do that. In fact, we did the opposite.

When Ukraine asked the United States for material support, we did everything but laugh at the notion. Despite the fact that the President of the United States has labeled The Russian Federation a regional power, he is unwilling to address the threat they pose to global stability.

Not only did the Obama Administration reject the request to arm Ukraine, they now stand side by side with the European Union and urge other nations to ratify and abide by the Arms Trade Treaty. The Arms Trade Treaty, or ATT, goes a long way to disarming citizens around the World, as well as enact strict controls on the international arms trade.

The West’s message to Ukraine: Use your words, children. Guns are for grownups.

The world is not the fairy-dusted Promised Land that the international gun-grabbers want us to believe it is. Historically, a government monopoly on guns, which the ATT calls for, is the number one detriment to individual civil liberties. While the West is telling Ukraine and the world that guns belong only in the hands of governments, a foreign government is preparing to invade Ukraine, while the Ukrainian government is almost powerless to stop it.

To add insult to injury, the European Union has made the disarmament of the Ukrainian people a prerequisite for membership to their common market. However, this offer of membership and the gift of civilian disarmament do not come with the promise of military intervention. The E.U. cites widespread destabilization and extreme danger should the people of Ukraine continue to possess what they describe as “illegal weapons.”

Without those weapons, Russia has no one but the shaky Ukrainian military to oppose them. An invading army does more to destabilize a region than civilians with rifles.

If Russia is only a regional power, it should be no challenge to the United States. Either Russia is in fact a global power beyond America’s ability to contain, or we are simply unwilling to do what is necessary to prevent a Russian land-grab. Russia’s behavior and America’s response belie the notion that either country is convinced that Russia is just a regional power.

Why is the United States so slow to support Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion, but so quick to support Jihadist radicals against Russian-backed President Assad in Syria? American arms started pouring into Syria and into the hands of Islamic Jihadists fairly quickly. We sent millions of dollars in weaponry to Syria, knowing that some of it would fall into the hands of terrorists.

When we supplied weapons to the Syrian rebels, they were going to be fighting Assad’s troops, who were backed by Russia. We could legitimately say that we were not opposing Russia, but only the tyrant Assad. In Ukraine, we are closer to the fire. If we arm Ukraine, and Ukraine uses those weapons to fire on Russians, then we are directly challenging Russia in their own backyard — not that that would matter if Russia were just a regional power.

Ukraine represents the last of Obama’s foreign policy credibility. He drew a line in the sand in Syria, it was crossed, and the most he did was send weapons to terrorists. He warned Putin not to invade Crimea, but he did, and our response was to freeze his access to American banks. Obama has lost the ability to project strength on the global stage, and he is unable to assess or stand up to our enemies. If Russia is a regional power, its region spans two continents and is growing. The United States is not only unable to stop them, but seemingly unwilling.

Conor Higgins has a BA from Catholic University in DC and an MA form George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, both in history. When he not getting his hands dirty in 2nd Amendment and firearms news he is doing his best to take a crack at some drive-by political analysis. And every now and then he may or may not review a low end bourbon for the tax write off. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Back Porch Politics.